Switch-operating device.



H. P: SUATGHARD.

SWITCH OPERATINGDEVIUE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1910.

981,886. Patentd Jan.17,1911.

2 SHEETSSHIIET l.

WifnEssEs H. r. SGATCHARD. SWITCH OPERATING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1910.

' Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

INVENTOR 4M4.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 21 WITNESSES ATTORNEYS senses.

UNITED srn'rns PATENT ornicn.

HERBERT 1 SCATCHARD, F DARBY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOE 0F ONE-HALF T0 JOHN S. LATTA, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH-OPERATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Itovember 12, 1910. Serial No. 591,977.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT F. SCATCI-I- Am), a citizen of the United States, residing at Darby, in the county of Delaware, State of Pennsylvania, have invent-ed a new and useful Switch-Opei;'ating Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved switch-opcrating device for electric or other railway in which a switch may be thrown from a trolley or other car or a locomotive while the latter is in motion.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawing one form thereof which is at present pre erred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results although it is to be unrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents a top-plan view of much. of a railway track and switch as will illustrate my ii'ivention. Fig. 2 represents a side eli-zvatitm of a p tion of a rail (partly broken away) and of the actuaing device on the ear and the actuated device on the road-bed,the car floor or platform appearing in section,illustrating the actuating device in operative position. Fig. 3 represents a detail view of the actuated device at the side of the rail, said latter being shown in transverse section. Fig. 4; represents a detail view 0:! mechanism. Fig. 5 represei'i ts a plan view ona larger scale, of the switoll-throwing mechanism. hi 6 represents a section of a car floor or plz. m and a side elevation of a hand-operated. fijirm of my actuating device. Fig. 7 re nzesents a plan view of a portion of a track and switch provided with my switchthrowing apparatus, illustrating the same applied to a switch connecting to a SIlG track turning to the opposite side of I the ide track illustrated in Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings: 11 designates the main track rails, 22, the side toi'igue.

a part of the transmission.

track rails, 3 indicates the movable switchtongue, and 4- indicates the frog. At the inner side of one of the rails and at a suitable distance frrnn the switch, a cushionblock, 5, substantially 'T-shaped, is supported upon springs, 6, beneath the arms of its head. Said cushion-block is pivoted upon the end of a lever, 7, which is fulcrumed to rock in a vertical plane, tittllSVGISG to the track. The other end of this lever engages a downwardly pointing forh,*8, upon one arm of a bell-crank, 9, suitably pivoted in the roadbed. The other arm of this bellcrank is connected by a link or red, 10, to one arm of a lever, 11, fulcruined to rock in a horizontal plane, and the other arm of said lever connected by a rod, 152, to one arm of horizontally fulcrumed lever 13. A cog-wheel, let, is jo t'irnaled to rotate in a horizontal plane, and meshes with a pinion, 15, having a wrist-pin, 16, upon its face, to which pin a link, 17, is pivoted, which again is pivotally connected to a rod 18, said rod being secured to an car 37 upon the switch with and secured upon the cog-wheel, and its teeth are engaged by a pawl, 20, upon a sliding bar, 21, which is pivotally connected to the horizontally movable lever 13. The ratchet teeth and. the cog-wheel and pinion that the .rnovement of the ratchet wheel .ior the ace 1" f one tooth will give the pinion one half a revolution so that by its link connection to the switchtongue the latter will be thrown from one position to another.

Beneath the floor or platform, of the car or locomotive is secured a vertical tubular guide, 23, in which a pl'ui'iger, 2st, slides, and a roller, 25, is journaled in the lower end of said pli'inger so as to engage the cushion block 5, along side the rail when the plunger is depressed. One arm of a bellcrank, 26, is pivotally connected to the plunger, and said bell-crank is fulcrumed beneath the floor or platform. A piston-rod, 27, is pivotally crnmected to the other arm of the bell crank, and this red is confiected to a piston, 28, in a cylinder, 29, and having a spring, 30, for returning it. A pipe, 31, is connected to the end of the cylinder to convey air, steam or other fluid under pressure to the same, and the flow through this pipe is controlled by a suitable three-way or other valve, 32, upon the car or locomotive.

A ratchet-wheel, 19, is concentric In Fig. 6 is illustrated a device for operating the actuating device by .hand power, and the air-cylinder, spring, piston and pistonrod serve in this case merely as a retracting device. The plunger and roller are depressed by a rod, 33, pivoted at one end'to the arm of the bell-crank 26, opposed to the piston-rod, and the other end of said rod is pivoted to a hand-lever, 34, provided with a spring-latch, 35, engaging a quadrant-rack, 36. By pulling back on the lever, the plunger is depressed, and the spring will raise the same when the lever is released.

In the switch illustrated in F ig. 7, the side-track is illustrated as leading to the left instead of to the right, as illustrated in Fig. l, and the pinion 17 is consequently arranged at a point diametrically opposite its location in Fig. 1, so as to be on the side where the switch-tongue is located. The operation of this switch is identical with that of the switch illustrated in Fig. 1.

Then a locomotive or car which will hereafter be referred to as the car arrives near the switch and it is desired to throw the same, the valve upon the car is actuated to admit air or whatever motive fluid is used to the cylinder, back of the piston, pushing the latter and the piston-rod forward to rock the bell-crank and depress the plunger to bring the roller upon the same in position to depress the cushion-block when the roller passes over the same, or if the hand-lever is employed, the lever is pulled, accomplishing the same result. The depression of the cushion-block rocks its lever, which again actuates the bell-crank, the connecting-rods and the levers to move the sliding bar and pawl to rotate the ratchet-wheel, and cogwheel for the space of one ratchet-tooth. The cog-wheel and pinion are so proportioned that the rotation of said wheel for the space of one ratchet-tooth will give the pinion one half revolution, and the switchtongue will thus be thrown from one eX- treme to the other of its movement, so that the main track or side track will be opened according to which track was closed by the last preceding actuation of the switch. As soon as the switch has been thrown, the air is turned off and exhausted from the aircylinder or the hand-lever is released, whereupon the plunger rises and is clear from the track. As soon as the pressure of the roller is released from the cushion-block, the springs raise the same, thereby drawing the pawl-carrying bar back so as to be ready to engage another ratchet tooth.

By this apparatus a switch can be thrown from a train or car by the engineer or motorman, without the necessity for a member of the crew leaving the train or car and without the necessity for a switchman being located at the switch. All parts of the switch-operating mechanism can be placed beneath or level with the road-bed and be suitably incased, and the parts upon the locomotive or car are few and simple and do not occupy much space. Where air or steam or other motive fluid is not practically accessible, suitable mechanical means for operating the actuating plunger by hand or foot power or by other accessible power may be provided on the engine or car, one such form -operation by hand power,being illustrated in Fig. 7. By proper proportioning of the throw of the pawl-carrying bar, the ratchet-Wheel, the cog-wheel and the pinion, the exact movement necessary for the throwing of the switch may be provided for, so that the actuation of the switchoperating mechanism will be positive and accurate without danger of the switch throwing back to its first position, as the actuation of the cushion-block of such mechanism is just suflicient to cause the one movement of the latter and then all parts return to normal and inactive position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newv and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character stated, a cushion-block adjacent the track, a switchtongue, a pinion having a wrist-pin upon its face, a link pivoted to said wrist-pin and to the switch-tongue, a cog-wheel meshing with said pinion, a ratchet-wheel connected to rotate said cog-wheel, a sliding bar carrying a pawl engaging the ratchet-Wheel, and connecting means between said sliding bar and cushion block to reciprocate the bar when the cushion block is depressed.

2. In a device of the character stated, a cushion-block adjacent the track, a switchtongue, a pinion having a wrist-pin upon its face, a link pivoted to said wrist-pin and to the switch-tongue, a cog-wheel meshing with said pinion, and means connected to the cushion-block and cog-wheel to partly rotate the latter when the former is depressed.

3. In a device of the character stated, a switch-tongue, a ratchet wheel, a sliding bar carrying a pawl engaging said wheel, means for reciprocating said bar and constructed to be actuated from a passing car, a pinion carrying a wrist-pin, a link pivoted to said pin and to the switch tongue, and gear connection between said pinion and the ratchet wheel whereby the former is given one half revolution from the movement of the latter by each movement in one direction of the sliding bar and pawl.

4C. In a device of the character stated, a switch, a ratchet-wheel, a sliding bar carrying a pawl engaging said wheel, means for reciprocating said bar and constructed to be actuated from a passing car, a pinion carrying a wrist-pin, a link pivoted to said pin and to the tongue of the switch, and a cogwheel connected to rotate with the ratchetwheel and engaging the pinion, said pinion, cog-wheel and ratchet-wheel being so proportioned that the pinion is given one half revolution by each movement in one direction of the sliding bar and pawl.

In a device of the character stated, a cushion-block adjacent, a rail of the track and substantially T-shaped, springs beneath the ends of the T-head of the same, a vertically movable lever having one arm pivoted to the cushion-block, a bell-crank fulcrinned to rock in a vertical plane and having one arm pivotally connected to said lever, a horizontally movable lever, a link between an arm of said lever and the other arm of the bell-crank, a l1(,)I'lZ(' Ill2Llly nio'vable lever, a rod connecting one arm of said lever with an arm of said before-recited horizontal lover, a sliding bar pivotally connected to the second horizontal lever, a pawl on said bar, a ratchet-wheel engaged by said pawl, a switch tongue, and mechanism be tween said ratchet-wheel and switch-tongue for throwing the latter by the rotation of the former.

HERBERT F. SCl-KTGHARD.

Witnesses E. HAYWARD FAIRBANKS, C. D. hlloVnv. 

